Drip by Drip by Drip

On the art of Pernille Snedker Hansen

Dripping colour onto the surface of water in a basin, waiting for form to become, letting the process grow into shape and compose the content of the artwork: Pernille Snedker Hansen’s art has to be described as processual practice–although the production of every artwork might be a process­–in this case it turns into her practice.

It is a process of repetition–the repetition of the same but not becoming the same, letting go of predefined structures to create formations of its own right. Though trying to repeat it, the attempt results in something completely different and creates a yet unseen uniqueness.

In search of visual phenomena in nature like structures of wood, grain, patterns of growth, Pernille Snedker Hansen sets out to experiment with techniques to imitate and magnify nature. Organic processes become scripts for the artist’s movements with her tools: water, numerous small bottles filled with various colours, wood, paper and a careful choice of colour combinations; combing through materialised occurrences like a colour drop spreading in the water basin, pushed away from its inner circle to the edge by the next drop falling into it. What happens is partly calculation, partly chance, loosing the artist’ hold on the process but at the same time being incredible aware and highly concentrated on the evolution of formation.

And then it is picked up by a piece of wood or paper–the process adheres itself to the pieces’s surface: materiality of both, paper or wood and the emerged colour pattern joined together as one single object.

The marbled wood can become a floor–or better the object of a floor, with its conventional form and function. But now another dimension is added to it. A spatial experience–walking over marbled wood–the distance created between eye and floor through movement and upright position enforces a different way of seeing the work, from far away as a patterned but almost calm and homogenous area. Now being compelled to bend over to kneel like a child on the ground to recognize the details and smaller patterns in the artwork. The appearance fluctuates depending from which angle it is looked upon and seen. The consistency of the object transforms and interacts with the viewer. It makes her_him not only see the object but experience it, its form, its content, its visuality and its materiality.

The works on paper recreate the moments of the dripping process and frame an excerpt of stages in the making. On eye level one can see colour, consistency of paint, and composition of colours, where lines break and come together again.

Pernille Snedker Hansen’s art is mesmerizing, super natural and stunning. It draws the viewer into it, closer and closer, as if the lines of colour and emerged shapes are still moving, yet not fixed in its solid materiality. As if one still can see every colour seeping on to it–drip by drip by drip.